1-218-444-4478
1-218-444-4478
16
Jan

John’s Sonex, a Busman’s Holiday

January 16, 2024
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Homebuilt Sonex
John Gregory’s completed homebuilt Sonex.

The British have an idiom called a busman’s holiday. It means a vacation that involves the same activities one does while at work because in the early days of the twentieth century, if a bus driver went on holiday, he probably rode a bus.  That idiom from across the pond is a good descriptor of several aviation projects that are in progress or have been completed by some of the folks who work at AirCorps Aviation.

One good example of a busman’s holiday is AirCorps Aviation component specialist John Gregory’s build of a Sonex kit plane.  The Sonex is described by the manufacturer as “a basic and economical, easy to build, all metal two place monoplane.” 

component kits
The first component kits arrived in November of 2015.
Part of the build process is setting up an area to work in with spacious enough benches to hold the larger assemblies like the wings.
John sets clecoes as he works on the horizontal stabilizer.
Skins fitted to the stabilizer and elevators in preparation for riveting.
In John’s own words, he would never have completed his Sonex without the help of Jane, who was his fiance when this photo was taken in June of 2016.
The ribs have been attached to the main wing spar.
This is the beginning of assembling the fuselage.
Progress is evident on the fuselage assembly.
In 2017, in the middle of the Sonex build, John and Jane got married. John sold his home and that necessitated moving the Sonex to Jane’s house where they would live.
We don’t know for sure, but it is a safe bet that John made a few “zoomy” noises while sitting in the cockpit for the first time.
Fitting the flat wrap windshield was a major challenge in the build.
But an even bigger challenge, and perhaps the most difficult part of the Sonex build was getting a good fit for the canopy.
By late summer of 2018, the little Sonex was on its gear.
John purchased a converted VW AeroVee engine from AeroConversions Products. The version John chose is turbocharged and rated at 100 HP. Here he is helped by his father Donald Gregory (lower left) and his brother Ed.
Just like fitting the canopy and windshield, mating the fiberglass cowling to the aluminum fuselage proved to be a demanding task.
Here John is working on wiring the instrument panel.
John had to set the plane in a nose-high attitude to test the fuel flow.
Sonex homebuilt
Six years after starting his home-built Sonex project, the great day finally arrived. On September 11, 2021, John took to the air in his Sonex. It had to be quite a thrill.

The people who work at AirCorps Aviation all have a passion for flying and planes, so it is no surprise that many of them are pilots and some have aviation projects of their own.

If you have a similar passion for aviation, contact AirCorps Aviation at 218 444-4478 or check out the employment page on our website.

There are usually several job openings and internship opportunities open on the website. Some require aviation experience and/or an A&P/IA  license, but most job openings do not. A passion for aviation,  a good work ethic, a willingness to learn, and a commitment to quality and craftsmanship are strong qualifications for many of the jobs that open up at AirCorps Aviation.

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1 Response
  1. Greg Brown
    Reply

    Loved reading about John’s story. I am currently building a Sonex with a Corvair 150 HP (WW) engine. Great to hear he got it done in 6 years! Hopefully I will do the same.
    Oh, and I just found your website from an SR-71 youtube video. My wife & I are originally from MN, and my sister went to college in Bemidji. Small world.
    Love what ya’ll are doing.

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